Capital Investment Funding Opportunity 2026

Overview

Opportunity status: Closed Type: Infrastructure Opening date: 11 March 2026 at 1:00 pm Closing date: 7 May 2026 at 1:00 pm Reference ID: 2026/371

The NIHR has launched the Capital Investment funding opportunity funded as part of a partnership between the government and the pharmaceutical industry's Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme. The Capital Investment funding opportunity is open to NHS Organisations in England to strengthen research infrastructure, with a specific emphasis on addressing bottlenecks in research delivery.

This investment aligns with the priorities highlighted by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) following a consultation with their members.

By targeting sector-wide research delivery improvements, this funding will address current barriers in accessing equipment and space constraints which hinder commercial trial delivery, including in primary care. Investing in diagnostic and treatment infrastructure will support high value commercial studies, reduce geographic inequalities in trial participation and stimulate economic growth, particularly in primary care settings where there is significant potential for growth in research capacity.

This funding opportunity encourages applicants to propose innovative solutions to enhance accessibility, increase patient recruitment and reduce inequalities. Such initiatives could include deploying mobile units equipped for recruitment, screening, and diagnostic follow-up activities in underserved regions. Additionally, applicants may consider investing in semi-permanent diagnostic infrastructure to support research programmes, such as mobile units to address imaging needs or infusion suites to address systemic bottlenecks and expedite trial delivery.

The funding opportunity is part of a series of NIHR Capital Investment funding opportunities. On this occasion the focus is on ensuring that NHS organisations are well-equipped to meet the needs of industry, thereby reinforcing the UK's reputation for delivering world-class commercial research.

The number of successful applications has not been predetermined. Applications submitted for this funding opportunity will have to meet the selection criteria and funding will be awarded based on the quality of the application and alignment with the areas of priority once the quality threshold has been reached.

Webinar

A virtual webinar for this funding opportunity took place on 19 March.

A copy of the slides and a recording of the webinar are available upon request by contacting infrastructure@nihr.ac.uk.

Key Dates

Date	Event
11 March 2026	Application opening date
19 March 2026	Webinar
07 May 2026	Application closing date
July 2026	Committee meeting
September 2026	Outcomes sent to applicants
September-October 2026	Review of contracting requirements
November 2026	Funding commences

Note: This opportunity is now closed. We are no longer accepting applications to this funding opportunity. You can still access the funding opportunity details but you will not be able to apply.

Research Specification

Key Features

• The Capital Investment funding is available for the purchase of equipment and modular buildings (non-permanent buildings such as portacabins) and for the refurbishment of space required to house purchased equipment and/or for research delivery.
• The funding available for equipment and/or refurbishment requested should support the development and delivery of commercial-collaborative and commercially sponsored research. However, we welcome applications for equipment and/or refurbishment that may also contribute to non-commercial research.
• Up to £55 million is available to support the development and delivery of commercial-collaborative and commercially sponsored research.
• Funding will be awarded over a period of up to 17 months starting on 1 November 2026. All funding awarded to successful applicants must be spent by 31 March 2028. There may be an exception for a small number of applications where extensive refurbishment is requested, and full justification is provided to extend spend until March 2029. However, we expect the majority of applicants to be able to complete spend, especially for equipment, by March 2028.

Who Can Apply

Applications are welcomed from NHS trusts and from primary care organisations (PCOs) delivering NHS-funded services in England. For the purposes of this guidance, secondary care refers to services delivered by NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts, including acute, mental health, learning disability, rehabilitation and other specialist services. Primary care organisations, refers to non-commercial organisations delivering NHS-commissioned care outside of the hospital setting, including general practice and other community-based primary care services.

Applications from Higher Education Institutions are not permitted in this funding opportunity.

For a full list of eligible organisations, please see bullet points below. If your organisation type is not listed, but you believe it meets the eligibility criteria, please contact the NIHR infrastructure team (infrasructure@nihr.ac.uk) for further guidance.

Applications from NHS Trusts

NHS trusts may apply for up to £1.5m for equipment, modular buildings or refurbishment, either to house new equipment or to facilitate the delivery of research. This is a funding opportunity for large-scale investment and applicants should not seek funding for small-scale equipment needs which can be included in awards for programmatic funding. Therefore, applications have a minimum of £50,000. The minimum cost per individual item, or per refurbishment project not related to equipment, must be £10,000. No awards will be made to NHS trusts below £50,000.

Secondary Care includes:

1. Mental Health Trusts (providing specialist care, including services for mental health)
2. Learning Disability Trusts (providing care and services for people with learning disabilities)
3. Rehabilitation Trusts (specialising in recovery from illness, injury, or surgery)
4. NHS Foundation Trusts
5. Specialist Units (such as renal units, oncology centres, or burn units)
6. Outpatient Clinics (if they are part of an NHS provider)

Applications from Primary Care Organisations (PCOs)

Applications are welcomed from PCOs, such as General Practice, and other non-commercial organisations delivering NHS-funded primary care services. Applications from PCOs must be hosted by an NHS-led organisation, defined as the host organisation that has a direct relationship with NHS primary care providers and is accountable for the delivery of NHS primary care services.

PCOs may apply for funding of up to £300,000 to support the purchase of equipment, modular buildings, or refurbishment projects that enable research delivery. Applications may include multiple related items or 'bundles' to meet a minimum threshold of £3,000. The minimum cost per individual item or per refurbishment project, if not related to equipment, must be £1,500. No awards will be made to PCOs below £3,000.

Primary Care includes:

1. Community Interest Companies (CICs) delivering NHS primary care services
2. NHS-commissioned primary care providers, such as community pharmacies, optometry practices and dental practices if they are delivering NHS services
3. GP Practices, GP Federations and Primary Care Networks (PCNs)
4. Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs) and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)
5. Health Centres providing NHS primary care services
6. Nursing Homes/Residential Care Homes (if they are involved in primary care services)
7. Walk-in Centres/Minor Injury Units
8. Mobile Health Clinics (if NHS funded and delivering primary care services)

The host organisation must be NHS-led, with shareholders or partners actively engaged in the delivery of NHS primary care services. The lead applicant must be employed by, or formally accountable to, the host organisation.

Single organisations, collaborations, federations or consortia led by NHS-funded primary care entities are all eligible to apply. Each organisation should submit a single application to ensure a coordinated approach.

Eligible Costs

Applicants may apply for funding for tangible fixed assets (capital) for the development and delivery of commercial-collaborative and commercially sponsored research. Capital costs are fixed, one-time expenses. Applicants may seek funding for purchase of equipment and/or modular buildings, and any refurbishment costs, where these are an absolute requirement for research delivery or spaces required to house purchased equipment. The expectation is that the equipment purchased with this award should be for research purposes, although if not in use for research for periods of time it may be for clinical use. The research teams within the NHS trusts who purchase the capital should have primary oversight and management of the equipment.

Awards to rented premises require landlord consent, a minimum remaining lease term of ≥ 5 years, and agreed exit terms. Lease documents and terms will need to be uploaded as part of the application in the flexible uploads section.

All equipment shall be owned by the purchasing NHS trust, or PCO, as allocated in the financial plan. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) reserves the right to determine the outcome of any equipment purchased with this investment.

Applicants are strongly advised to seek appropriate VAT advice before applying. Your individual circumstances may vary depending on your organisation's structure and specific VAT arrangements. Regarding input VAT on purchases, any VAT that the organisation is able to recover must not be included in the NIHR application costings. Only VAT that the organisation is not able to recover may be included in the NIHR application costings.

Eligible costs include:

1. Purchasing new equipment for research purposes or study delivery
2. Replacing old equipment that was used for research or study delivery
3. Appropriate costs incurred in the purchase, delivery and installation of pieces of equipment
4. Refurbishment of facilities to host the equipment purchased through this investment
5. Refurbishment of space to deliver research (refurbishment in trust and university co‑embedded sites is eligible with letters guaranteeing research hosting and access for the duration of the funding
6. Research‑critical IT (such as e-consent tablets, secure capture devices, cabling and network connections) may be eligible when directly linked to funded equipment or workflows
7. Purchase of modular buildings (non-permanent buildings such as portacabins)
8. Minimal groundworks strictly required to install funded research equipment or modular buildings may be permitted with estates sign‑off. Groundworks are anticipated to make up no more than 35% of the total application budget.
9. Essential utilities, such as plumbing, for laboratory or clinical facilities required for research
10. Costs to support accessibility adaptations, such as wheelchair ramps

The following costs are ineligible for this funding opportunity:

1. Refurbishment of office space and office equipment, such as office furniture and IT
2. Refurbishment of reception/ patient waiting area and furniture not strictly required for research delivery
3. Any groundworks not directly required for installation of funded equipment, refurbishment or modular buildings
4. Costs of safely disposing of older equipment that is being replaced via this scheme
5. Storage rooms and storage solutions
6. Depreciation costs
7. Software and cloud-based technologies
8. Equipment maintenance costs
9. Insurance costs
10. Extended warranties for new equipment
11. Support staff posts and salaries
12. Travel
13. Subsistence
14. Conference fees
15. Consumables i.e. non-reusable items specific to a programme of work
16. NHS support costs
17. NHS treatment costs for research
18. Leasing costs

Funding will not be provided to support capital investments that support the delivery of animal research in line with NIHR policy.

For any queries about whether an item is in scope, please submit the query via the NIHR Capital Funding funding opportunity applicants' queries form.

Responses to submitted applicant queries are available and will be updated regularly in response to new queries. Please refer to the applicant queries tab of this page for updates.

Application Requirements

1. Costing documentation: Applicants must provide at least three recent quotes from multiple suppliers, where possible, to substantiate the costs of items and equipment. Applicants must provide at least three competitive quotes for refurbishment and estates work, unless a single-supplier waiver is justified. Refurbishment costs must be itemised and fully justified within the application. Please ensure the quotes follow the order of items requested in the finance form. Applications that do not include the required cost documentation will not be considered by the assessment Committee.
2. Timeline and spend plan: NHS organisations and/or the PCOs must demonstrate that their plans for using the funding are realistic and can be delivered within the required timeframe. We cannot guarantee reprofiling will be approved. All purchases must be made and costs processed within the funded period (1 November 2026 – 31 March 2028). Funding will not be available beyond this period unless pre-approved for exceptional cases of extensive refurbishment. Payments for equipment and building refurbishment should align with the financial plan's spend profile.
3. Eligibility clarification: Applicants will be asked to clarify their eligibility for funding, including a requirement to clarify the applicant's relationship with the NHS, proof of ownership of buildings relevant to their application or a copy of lease contracts if leasing premises.
4. Research utilisation: Equipment, modular buildings, and refurbished spaces purchased with funding to support commercial research must be used for commercial research purposes for at least 50% of the time in the first five years. From year six onwards, the minimum usage for research purposes should be at least 20%. While NHS organisations may use the equipment and enhanced building capacity for clinical practice, the primary focus should remain on research.
5. Enhancing research capacity: Applicants will be asked for details on current research activities and a projection of how the requested equipment, refurbishment and/or modular buildings will enhance research capacity and capability to deliver future research.
6. Financial contributions: Applicants may request up to 100% of the total cost from the NIHR. Contributions from institutional or partner trusts are encouraged but not required. If any contributions from partners are included, they must be secured at the time of application, and a letter of support from the host or partner should be included as should disclosure of relevant partnership agreements.
7. Long-term sustainability: Applicants will be asked for details on their plans for the long-term sustainment and management of the requested equipment. Reviewers will consider whether applicants have sufficiently planned and committed to appropriate long-term management, maintenance and sustainability of the equipment beyond the period of NIHR funding.
8. Equipment handling: Applicants must be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the operational requirements for any equipment they propose to purchase, including necessary maintenance, servicing schedules, and support arrangements throughout the equipment's useful life. This includes appropriate temperature monitoring, backup storage plans and energy/HVAC load assessments for ultra-low (-80°C) freezers. All equipment must be CE/UKCA marked and approved for research use.
9. Contingency costs: Contingency costs are capped at 5% of eligible costs. Exceptions up to 10% may be approved for complex refurbishments with appropriate evidence.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to assess whether cash received from NIHR meets the classification of a capital grant under IAS20, including in agreement with their auditors where transactions are material. If the NHS applicant determines the cash received does meet the definition of the grant, the FAQs contain information on how NHS capital returns can be completed to reflect this and remove any capital or revenue impact of depreciation associated with the grant-funded spend from the provider's CDEL position.

Review and Monitoring

The payments for this award will be made in arrears a quarterly basis. Note that this funding should be spent in addition to a trust's core NHS CDEL allocation. It should not displace other NHS capital funding that the trust is due to receive.

The use of funding will be monitored through quarterly financial statements and the benefits leveraged will be assessed via:

1. A Progress Report during the last fiscal year of the award to confirm all executed and outstanding purchases; and
2. A Final Report at the end of the last fiscal year of the award to document:
   • The total funding leveraged where relevant (from various funding bodies);
   • A summary of the studies supported during, and as a result of, the funding awarded; and
   • Case study reports

Requests for case studies may vary depending on the type of equipment. DHSC reserves the right to send independent auditors to the NHS organisation to confirm the actual use of funds. Award holders should apply their organisation's fixed asset controls policies and ensure that significant capital purchases are reflected, tracked and monitored via a fixed asset register.

Please note that the NIHR reserves the right to request additional information about this funding and its use at any point. In particular, the NIHR reserves the right to ask the NHS organisation and/or the PCO host trust to provide proof of purchase for the items/refurbishment that were incurred as part of this award, while any surplus from equipment/refurbishment purchased at a lower value will need to be reimbursed.

Application Guidance

Please read our single stage application infrastructure guidance to help you complete all aspects of your application. You must read these alongside the information below, which details specific application requirements for this funding opportunity. You must also check:

1. research inclusion guidance - it is important that you fully consider inclusion throughout the whole research life cycle
2. finance guidance for applicants - this helps you cost your application

Applicants are asked to use plain English and avoid jargon where possible. Abbreviations should be spelled out and technical terminologies explained in the first instance.

Please note that some fields within the application form on the NIHR award management System are mandatory. Failure to complete mandatory fields will mean the system will reject your application when you submit.

Please note the bespoke requirements for this funding opportunity below.

Summary Information Tab

Contracting organisation - Please provide the name of the NHS and/or the Primary Care organisation applying for capital funding. Should your organisation not be included in the dropdown menu, please enter it manually by clicking "Add New Contracting Organisation"

Partner organisation(s) - If applicable, please include any partner organisation(s) by selecting "Yes". Should the Partner Organisation not be included in the dropdown menu, please enter it manually by clicking "Add New Partner Organisation". Any letter of support from partner organisations should be uploaded in the uploads section. If there is/are no Partner Organisation(s), please select "No"

Name of proposed infrastructure - You may use the following format: NIHR <Name of the Contracting (or Host) Organisation> (i.e. Capital Investment funding opportunity 2026)

Total cost to NIHR - £ GBP (this field does not require input; it will be auto populated once the budget section has been completed)

Theme - The system allows for the selection or addition of Themes, with "Core" as the default. For the Capital Investment requirement:

1. Do not add any new Themes, as they are not required
2. The default "Core" Theme will be automatically associated with requested equipment/refurbishment in the Financial Form. Please ensure "core" is selected.

Lead Applicant & Research Team Tab

Lead applicant - This information will be pulled through from your profile page (please keep it up to date). The lead applicant is the key individual who will manage the award. The lead applicant must be directly employed by the host NHS organisation; Primary Care organisations lead applicants must demonstrate they are NHS-led, with shareholders or partners actively engaged in NHS primary care services: you will need to explain your role and NHS relationship in the appropriate box. Given no salaries are paid through this award, please enter 0 for "% FTE commitment".

Joint lead applicant - If applicable, please select "Yes" and invite a joint lead applicant; otherwise, select "No"

Co-applicants - If applicable, please invite co-applicant(s); otherwise, leave blank

Additional partners and/or collaborators - If you have added Partner Organisations in the Summary Information Tab there is no need to duplicate information here. However, if there are collaborators involved in the application they can be entered here, otherwise, please leave this section blank

Administrative contact - One or more administrative contacts may be added. You are encouraged to include the following three contacts:

1. One contact who will be involved in supporting the lead applicant in relation to the award management (should the application be successful)
2. One contact who will be responsible for any communications and press releases regarding this award
3. One contact who will be responsible for financial management and reporting for this award

Application Details Tab

Plain English Summary - (max 3500 characters including spaces). Please, provide a justification for the items (equipment and/or refurbishment) requested in the proposal. This should include: how the funding will enhance the research capacity and capability of the NHS trust and/or the Primary Care organisations; how this will contribute to driving innovation, supporting commercial studies, reducing health and/or geographic inequalities in trial participation, improving patient outcomes, and stimulating economic growth

Research facilities and expertise - (max 5000 characters including spaces). Please, provide information about existing facilities and expertise where relevant, such as providing details of current research activities to demonstrate research experience and the hierarchy of research maturity. Please highlight the relationship with partners and/or collaborators (if any). If partners are included, clarify roles and relationship with the NHS and/or the Primary Care host organisation

Working with people and communities summary - (max 3500 characters including spaces). Please detail your organisation's strategy for ensuring the relevance and impact of its research on people and communities. Even where direct involvement is minimal, please explain the anticipated impact of the funded research on people and communities. Please describe how people and communities are or will be involved throughout the research lifecycle: in the development of this funding application, research design, delivery, and/or dissemination, as appropriate. Plans should reflect the NIHR Strategic Commitments to Public Partnerships.

Embedding inclusion is a core operating principle for the NIHR and is key to the successful delivery of NIHR's Research Inclusion Strategy 2022-2027. The term 'research inclusion' is used to highlight NIHR's mission of addressing inequalities related to various characteristics. Beyond the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, disparities linked to socio-economic status, geographic location, and access to health and care are included. Please summarise your plan for reducing health and/or geographic inequalities in trial participation and/or in general research outcomes

Infrastructure - Strategic plan - This is an optional field. For the purposes of the Capital Investment 2026 funding opportunity, you are not required to complete it

Infrastructure - Single stage objectives and additional information - This is an optional field. For the purposes of the Capital Investment 2026 funding opportunity, you are not required to complete it

Budget Tab

Application Budget - Click the "Application Budget" button. You are required to enter the costs into 'Year 1', 'Year 2' tabs: in each of these tabs, the only field relevant to you is the Equipment table (leave any other